New Flyer Industries D40i

New Flyer D40i
Years of manufacture	1999 to 2007
Length	40 feet
Width	102 inches
Power/Fuel	Diesel

The New Flyer Industries D40i, dubbed the Invero, was a low floor transit bus. Introduced in 1999 with the intention of eventually phasing out New Flyer's traditional low floor bus, the first production units were sold in 2002 to St. Catharines Transit and were numbered 90-95. However sales of the Invero never truly gained momentum, with only OC Transpo operating a substantial fleet of the buses. The D40i was taken off the market in early 2007.

The Invero was introduced with a number of innovations, some of which would become common in the industry. Instead of a traditional plywood subfloor that was secured by screws, the Invero used phenolic coated balsa wood that was secured with adhesive. The HVAC was mounted at the front of the bus to improve circulation and weight distribution. The Invero was also one of the earlier buses to use a multiplexed electrical system.

Passengers benefited from a larger glazed surface and lighting that was diffused in a manner to reduce glare on the windows and windshield. The interior layout allowed for a gain of five seats over New Flyer's traditional low floor. The driver's area featured improved ergonomics and simplified control layout. The 18 inch steering wheel had improved grips, and the foot pedals could be adjusted. The area was also designed to stay at a comfortable temperature at all times with direct air conditioning current and heating around the feet.

The Invero platform was never formally built in other lengths or with other drivetrains. Although Stewart & Stevenson integrated the GM-Allison parallel hybrid system into new Invero buses for the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority.

In 2006, a hydrogen fuel cell hybrid powered Invero was presented by Hydrogenics and the Province of Manitoba. Working with New Flyer, Hydrogenics converted a former demonstrator bus—fitting it with three HyPM 65 fuel cell modules. ISE Corporation supplied the hybrid system, which included 170 kW wheel-mounted electric motors from Siemens. Ultra-capacitors from Maxwell Technologies were used to store electricity.

Specifications

Dimensions
Length: 41.25 ft.
Width: 102 in.
Height: 126 in.
Wheelbase: 285 in.
Engine	Emissions	Availability
Cummins ISC	EPA 1998 & 2004	1999-2003
Cummins ISL	EPA 2004	2003-2007
Detroit Diesel Series 40	EPA 1998 & 2004	1999-2004
Transmission
Allison B400R
Axles		Availability
Meritor		1999-2004
MAN		2004-2007
Floor
Tarabus Sirius NT
Phenolic balsa core fiberglass subfloor
HVAC
Thermo King R9-M1 roof mounted
Electrical System		Availability
VCOM programmable logic control		1999-2004
Vansco Multiplex System		2004-2007

Interior Views

• 
  Interior looking towards the back
• 
  Driver's control panel
• 
  Push buttons for the doors on the driver's control panel on a OC Transpo bus
• 
  Driver's dash

Operators

Canada

• Burlington Transit - Burlington, ON
• London Transit Commission - London, ON
• OC Transpo - Ottawa, ON
• St. Catharines Transit - St. Catharines, ON
• Transit Cape Breton - Sydney, NS (second-hand from London Transit Commission)
• Transit Windsor - Windsor, ON (second-hand from London Transit Commission)
• Welland Transit - Welland, ON (second-hand from London Transit Commission)
• Winnipeg Transit - Winnipeg, MB

United States

• Community Transit - Snohomish County, WA
• Southwest Transit - Chanhassen, Chaska, Eden Prarie, MN
• Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) - Roaring Fork Valley, CO

Demonstrator and engineering units

Below is a list of known demonstrator and engineering buses. The first three Invero demonstrators were originally assigned serials 20555-20557, but later re-assigned XP000001-XP000003. In 2001, another Invero prototype was built under serial 22614.

Fleet number	Thumbnail	Year	VIN	Engine	Transmission	Notes
		2000	2FYD3LP00YP000004	Detroit Diesel Series 40	Allison B400R	Double stream rear door.
		Jan. 2001	5FYD3LP171U022614	Cummins ISC	Allison B400R	To Southwest Transit 601 in 2005.
		2002	2FYD3LL113P025422	Detroit Diesel Series 40	Allison B400R	2003 model. Double stream rear door.

References

New Flyer Invero Specs
Personal notes & sightings